Writer honors making right decision even when society does not accept it

“The Fugitive’s Doctor” by Deirdre Elizabeth Parker exemplifies the role of unconditional love through the challenges of marriage and betrayal

BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. – The recent capture of long-time fugitive crime boss Whitey Bulger who was on the lam for 17 years has focused interest upon the life of a fugitive living in plain sight eluding apprehension.

In the novel, “The Fugitive’s Doctor” (ISBN 1461172616), Deirdre Elizabeth Parker demonstrates an example of a woman’s unconditional love for her husband whose secret life as an escaped fugitive felon unfolds after he hid the truth from her through eight years of marriage.

At the age of 51, Dr. Doretha Vaughn decides to join an online dating site to find a husband. Her daughter warns her to be careful, but Vaughn trusts her judge of character and meets Sam Cawley, a kind man who treats her like a queen. He fills her days with laughter and affection while providing a caring refuge from the daily suffering and death she battles as an emergency physician.

A phone call from the Broward County Sheriff makes Vaughn question her happiness. She learns that Sam Cawley is really William Wallace, who has been on the run for 17 years, and is now wanted on charges of identity theft and credit card fraud. Parker said that her inspiration for “The Fugitive’s Doctor” came from the stories of many politicians’ wives who stuck by their husbands even after various scandals made headline news.

“Do we really mean it when we say ‘in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, until death do us part,’” Parker asks. “Or do we add a silent clause, ‘unless you shame me or disappoint me?’ What is the cost of unconditional love and how capable are we of giving that?”

Whether readers support Vaughn’s decisions or shake their heads at her in amazement, Parker believes they will be swept along her journey into the depths of a crisis that few people can imagine. The author hopes that the book will make readers question their own ability to offer unconditional love.

This book is dedicated to women forced to make painful choices for love. It honors the women and families who visit loved ones in prison and who have first-hand knowledge of this alternative universe.

“The Fugitive’s Doctor” will be available soon for sale online at Amazon.com and other channels.

About the Author:
Deirdre Elizabeth Parker is a first-time novelist who lives in Florida.